AthFest CD Release Show

Calling all music lovers... Tasty World will host the AthFest CD Release Show this Friday night! This is a FREE show with performances by Ken Will Morton Band, The Incredible Sandwich and Pride Parade.

The 2010 AthFest CD will be available at the show for a special price before the official release date of May 4. The CD includes 16 diverse tracks of high energy rock, quirky pop, soulful Americana, jam rock and more, representing a fine cross-section of the Athens music scene.

This year's CD includes bands like The Whigs, Charlie Garrett Band, Timber, The Incredible Sandwich, Packway Handle Band and Modern Skirts, to name a few. Most of the tracks are previously unreleased. For a full track listing, click here.

At the show, there will be an announcement by AthFest founder/director Jared Bailey beginning the eBay auction for a Gretsch guitar signed by Drive-By Truckers. Proceeds from the sale will benefit AthFest, Inc. educational programs in local schools such as AthFest InSchool, AthFest AfterSchool and Keys for Kids.

Can't make it to the Release Party? The album will be available in select stores, online at AthFest.com and at online digital music stores worldwide. The CD will also be available at AthFest 2010 - the Athens Music and Arts Festival - which will be held in downtown Athens June 23 - 27.

To listen to the AthFest 2009 Compilation CD, visit our website and click "The Athens Sound."

Athens this Weekend

Grab a bit more summer fun in Athens this weekend!

Friday

• Try out clay classes at Good Dirt. The weekly "Try Clay" class runs from 7-9 p.m. & is $20 per person.
  
• It's a 3 for 1 deal at 40 Watt. Check out Reigning Sound, Thomas Function, & Vincas. Show starts at 10 p.m. & tickets are $10.
  
• "Rock & Rap Mayhem" at the Caledonia Lounge. The event features 5 rock & rap rising stars. The show starts at 10 p.m. & tickets are $5 (21+) or $7 (18+).
• Try out your moonwalk at Little Kings Shuffle Club & their Michael Jackson Dance Party. The event starts at 10 p.m. & cost is $5 or $2 if you dress like the king of pop.

Saturday

• Learn about Athens' history through a Heritage Walk. This Saturday, visitors will be exploring UGA's Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library. The library holds some 2,500 years of materials from across the globe, supporting the varied research of the University of Georgia, as well as that of researchers from other institutions around the world. To view the full event listing click here. The tour begins at 2 p.m. & costs $12 for ACHF members, $15 for non-members.
• For a fun family event, check out Family Canoe Day at the Sandy Creek Nature Center. The event begins at 10 a.m. & costs $3 for ACC residents, $5 for non-residents.
• The Classic City Rollergirls take on the Camel City Thrashers at the Skate a Round USA Family Skate Center. The bout begins at 7 p.m. & tickets are $7 in advance, $10 at the door.
• Come out to Tasty World Uptown for Athens Habitat for Humanity 21st Birthday Party! The party features music from The Judies, Trances Arc, & Velveteen Pink. Doors open at 10 p.m. & admission is $5.
  

Athens this Weekend

Looking for great shows? You know Athens is famous for its music scene. Need something else? Check out a few alternatives this weekend.

Friday

• Darius Goes West Day at the Student Presbyterian Center. Check out one of UGA's most famous alums. Everyone gets 10 free activity tickets. Make sure to see the Darius Goes West RV that's traveled 50,000 miles since Sept. 2008. 6-10 p.m.
  
• Check out the comedic routine of Lisa Mende and Stephanie Astalos-Jones at Cine. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $15.
• Check out 4 great shows for the price of 1 at Tasty World Uptown. Celerity, Groove Stain, The K-Macks, and So It Goes are all set to perform. Tickets are $5 and the show starts at 10 p.m.
• Looking for a fun blast from the past? Head over to the Melting Point and check out The Splitz. They perform classic Motown, '70s funk, R&B, and disco hits. 8 p.m. Tickes are $8 in advance, $10 at the door.

Saturday

• Slow Food Pie Contest at the Athens Farmers' Market. 10:30 a.m. $5 (to taste all pies)
• Head over to Cine for a screening of Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life . See it in full at 7:30 p.m.
• Can't wait for football season? UGA's Countdown to Kickoff might ease the pain of waiting. Present and former UGA football players run drills, throw passes, play games, sign autographs and take pictures with fans. 3-6 p.m. $25.
• Killer Mike, Pastor Troy, and The Nappy Roots will be performing at The Classic Center at 10 p.m. Tickets are $5.

Sunday

• Comedian Carl Hurley will be performing at The Classic Center at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. Drawing from his roots in the tradition of such other American humorists as Andy Griffith and Garrison Keillor, Hurley delights audiences with his reflections on life as viewed by a native of Appalachia with a singular sense of the absurd.
  

Athens this Weekend

Check out the usual suspects of art, live music, and entertainment throughout the Classic City this weekend.

Friday

• Looking for a new form of fun this weekend? Check out Effie's Club Follies at the 40 Watt. This local "slap-strip comedic burlesque" troupe combines the best elements of sketch comedy, musical theatre, drag and striptease. The show starts at 10 p.m. & tickets are $10 for the 21 & over set, $12 for 18+.
• The Michael Guthrie Band will be performing at the Melting Point at 9 p.m. For nearly 40 years, Athenian Michael Guthrie and his various bandmates have delved into the world of melodic, jangly British-sounding throwback rock. The latest incarnation is a family affair with brother Herb and son Jon. Tickets are $5 in advance, $7 at the door.
• Check out a large lineup at the new Tasty World Uptown this Friday. Against All Odds, Heroes for Tonight, Leaving Araby, Lost Heritage, Shootout the Stars, and The Wristbandits will all grace the new stage. Tickets are $5.

Saturday

• Taste Your PLACE Kickoff at the Athens Farmers' Market. 8 a.m.-12 p.m. To learn more, checkout this week's freebie.
• With football season so close yet so far, get your dawg fix at the Classic Center with the Dawg Derby Flyball Tournament. This year's tournament features 64 teams of dogs and handlers from 10 states competing in a fast-paced relay race that involves sprinting, jumping and retrieving. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets are $1.
• Want to see how UGA's gardens grow? The Gardens at UGA Open House runs from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Guided tour led by the founder of UGA's Trial Gardens, which are nationally known for trialing annuals and perennials for the Southeast. $5.
• Swing by Caledonia Lounge to hear The Buddy System's final show. Check out the adorable projected animation of Lauren Gregg's illustrations to go along with the gently grooving indie-pop tunes delivered by Kindercore stalwarts in their last performance. Also featuring Allison Weiss, Attractive Eighties Women, and ExcaliBrah. 10 p.m. $5.

Sunday

• Enjoy a lazy Sunday at Memorial Park with a free community picnic. Featuring music, yard games, face painting, ice cream, performances and more. Bring a blanket and picnic basket. 5 p.m.
• Square One Restaurant and Bar's weekly Sunday Jazz Brunch features rotating local jazz artists out on their patio. Enjoy it before the heat index goes back up! 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Exercise your brain and gear up for the work week with sports-themed trivia at Allen's Bar & Grill. 9 p.m.

For more information on these events or to see more calendar listings, visit our website here.

Tasty World Revamps

If you have been downtown recently, you may have noticed the changes going on at Tasty World. I pass the iconic bar every day, and at first chalked the changes up to some late spring cleaning. Then I worried, is Tasty World closing? But as more time passed, and the look of Tasty World continued to change, I realized this must be a remodel.

In fact, Tasty World is essentially splitting in two. The downstairs bar and stage area are being remodeled as a new bar with a new name- Magnolia's. According to this Flagpole article, the new bar will feature an "extended, open patio space accentuated by finely crafted metalwork. Inside you'll find all-new furniture, handmade by the staff, plus a sleek brick bar topped with granite." The downstairs stage will remain, but is also undergoing a remodel- it is being extended to make room for a new grand piano.

The upstairs area will remain primarily a music venue. The upstairs stage has also been extended and new lights have been added to shine on Athens' performing stars.

The last substantial change to Tasty World will be the name- the upstairs area will be called Tasty World Uptown.

Tasty World Uptown will opens its door just in time for AthFest, which begins next Thursday.